Advertising and Marketing

News about Advertising and Marketing, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Jul. 28, 2015

Joe Nocera Op-Ed column expresses concern that podcasts like Gimlet Media show StartUp, hosted by Alex Blumberg, contain advertisements that are barely distinguishable from show; suggests that model is slippery slope. MORE

Jul. 27, 2015

Growing popularity of podcasts has been fueled in part by rise of so-called native advertising; podcasters are increasingly known to endorse products and sometimes do reporting as part of advertising segments, leading to concerns among many about journalistic integrity. MORE

Jul. 16, 2015

Building Blocks column; ramp hall in Grand Central Terminal has tranquil and dignified atmosphere thanks to 1998 restoration and decision by Metro-North Railroad to not clutter space with advertisements. MORE

Jul. 11, 2015

Walt Disney Company gives only modest promotion at Comic-Con International convention for its upcoming movie Star Wars: The Force Awakens, due in theaters Dec 18. MORE

Jun. 30, 2015

AOL, under terms of new deal, will assume management and sales control over advertising on Microsoft products across much of the world; arrangement, which includes platforms like Skype and Xbox, signals AOL's strength in advertising technology; Microsoft's Bing search engine will power search results and search advertising across AOL websites as part of the deal. MORE

Jun. 27, 2015

Fate of Paramount Pictures film Drunk Wedding, predicted to be low-budget, high-profit hit but ending up video on demand outcast, illuminates difficulties of marketing small original movies from inside major studio; faced with project with no big stars, risky amount of adolescent-level crudeness and nothing similar to use as a marketing blueprint, Paramount executives chose not to risk the high coast of a major theatrical release, and went instead for the guaranteed return on investment of video on demand. MORE

Jun. 23, 2015

WPP is expected to announce joint venture with music producer Alex Da Kid at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity that will create marketing campaigns built around music; venture will be called KidinaKORNERCreate and is part of trend of mixing advertising with entertainment. MORE

Jun. 22, 2015

Focus of annual Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity will be advertising technology and digital advertising, social media, and analytics; changes in advertising industry have made once-marginal companies that offer advertising technology products center of event. MORE

Jun. 22, 2015

NBCUniversal has increasingly been making available marketing strategy dubbed Symphony to outside advertisers like Microsoft; company and its parent Comcast use broadcast and cable networks as well as movies for cross-promotion of products. MORE

Jun. 21, 2015

Businesses and advertisers are marshaling enormous resources to target, attract and understand millennial consumers, creating marketing frenzy not seen since baby boomers came of age; shift has created high-priced shadow industry for consultants who specialize in group's habits and psychology; some critics say emphasis on millennials and their putatively unique characteristics has been excessive. MORE

Jun. 18, 2015

Farhad Manjoo State of the Art column says biggest podcasts are gaining large audiences and advertising revenue, but overall audience for podcasts is rising very slowly; points out Edison Research report, finding 17 percent of Americans listened to a podcast in January, up from 14 percent in 2012; says one promising podcast start-up is Gimlet Media. MORE

Jun. 15, 2015

Creators of Something Rotten!, Broadway musical that lost among nominees for best musical at Tony Awards, devises clever promotional campaign by actually touting its status as a Broadway 'loser' in campaign that highlights a number of best-musical losers over the years. MORE

Jun. 10, 2015

San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously approves requirement within city limits that print advertising for sugary sodas and other drinks carry warnings about potential risks related to obesity, diabetes and other health problems; measure will be first in country if it receives second round of approval from supervisors and is not vetoed by mayor. MORE

Jun. 8, 2015

Craig Braun and John Pasche of Sound Packaging Corporation outline challenges they faced in 1971 in designing innovative Rolling Stones Sticky Fingers album cover, which featured a working zipper and debut of Stones' iconic lips and tongue logo; album is being re-released with original packaging. MORE

Jun. 4, 2015

Op-Ed article by Prof Zeynep Tufekci observes that ad-financed Internet services like Facebook and Google, widely perceived as free, are in fact paid for with user data; says system, with only modicum of profit per user, incentivizes massive platforms with huge data-collection networks; proposes new system of micropayments that would allow users to retain their privacy at a cost. MORE

Jun. 3, 2015

Facebook announces plans to open photo feed on its Instagram service to all advertisers, move many say was inevitable and which could bring in up to $2.1 billion in additional annual revenue; advertisers will be able to target ads to various segments of service's 300 million users. MORE

Jun. 3, 2015

Richard Sandomir Sports Business column remarks on similarly bland and cautious statements issued by World Cup soccer sponsors after resignation of FIFA Pres Sepp Blatter. MORE

May. 29, 2015

At least 20 companies have withdrawn ads from TLC reality show 19 Kids and Counting following report that star Josh Duggar had been investigated for molesting underage girls; companies include Walgreens, General Mills, Pizza Hut and Choice Hotels. MORE

May. 29, 2015

Corporate sponsors of World Cup release cautious statements in response to United States Justice Department corruption indictments of nine FIFA officials; must determine wishes of business partners, customers and shareholders before taking firm position on issue. MORE

May. 28, 2015

Companies use crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter as marketing tool as well as for financing. MORE

May. 23, 2015

Fast-food restaurants, in response to faltering sales from increased competition, are resurrecting characters from commercials gone by; McDonald's tried bringing back the Hamburgler, to mixed Twitter reviews, and KFC has hired comedian Darrell Hammond to play Colonel Harland Sanders. MORE

May. 22, 2015

Nascar driver Danica Patrick, one of auto racing's most marketable personalities, is looking for new sponsorship after end of partnership with GoDaddy; her ability to land a deal for next season will be bellwether for health of the sport. MORE

May. 19, 2015

Bill Backer, retired adman who created memorable Coca-Cola jingle in 1971 which was used in series finale of Mad Men, says he stopped watching television show during its second season; Coca-Cola says it had nothing to do with ad's placement and that no money changed hands. MORE

May. 19, 2015

NBA playoffs have been marked by new trend called 'shirting,' in which teams leave free tshirts on seats that spectators are eagerly wearing during games; shirts have created massive monochromatic backdrops for home teams like the Golden State Warriors, Washington Wizards, Chicago Bulls and others. MORE

May. 18, 2015

Television networks are bracing for advertisers' decisions after week of upfront presentations, and negotiations could indicate how much of priority advertisers place on television in their advertising budgets; advertisers are expected to evaluate wide range of data to try and pick popular shows; ad spending on television is expected to decline by 7 percent. MORE

May. 16, 2015

Numerous Memphis Grizzlies fans have taken to creating and selling their own team merchandise, especially T-shirts, with fresh designs that are often based on latest catchphrases uttered by players; have tacit approval of team, which sees active and creative engagement good for brand. MORE

May. 12, 2015

Cable and broadcast television networks are emphasizing their digital offerings to advertisers in upfront events in bid to adapt to fact that many brands, like Coca-Cola, are allocating more of their budgets to social and digital media. MORE

May. 11, 2015

Television networks are expected to showcase programs with Latino leads to advertisers during upfront week; push for diversity is inspired by broad popularity of CW Network's comedy-drama Jane the Virgin, which stars Gina Rodriguez, who is of Puerto Rican descent. MORE

May. 11, 2015

Television networks are increasingly anxious as they head into upfront week, in which they will lavishly woo advertisers for coming TV season, fearful that marketers will cut budgets as ratings plummet; mood reflects larger transition in industry as viewers increasingly choose streaming alternatives to traditional broadcast television. MORE

May. 11, 2015

Roundup of several presentations for fall lineups that the four major television networks are expected to pitch to advertisers during upfront week. MORE

May. 11, 2015

Cartoon Network begins upfront week optimistically, pointing out to advertisers that its Nielsen ratings have climbed 16 percent in 2014 among children 2 to 11, even as ratings of rival Nickelodeon have slipped. MORE

May. 8, 2015

Spotify is engaged in talks with array of media companies to bring short video clips to its music streaming service; change is aimed at holding listener attention for longer periods of time, increasing ad revenue. MORE

May. 2, 2015

Beats, well-known maker of headphones, scores media coup when quarterback Marcus Mariota is viewed wearing their earbuds during televised NFL draft; Beats, which are not NFL sponsor, have signed several top NFL rookies, along with Mariota, to promote their brand. MORE

May. 1, 2015

Chobani unveils new advertising campaign that will focus less on company's yogurt products and more on promoting broader message about healthy eating and natural living. MORE

Apr. 30, 2015

Twitter reports slower-than-expected ad sales growth in its first quarter report, citing advertisers' reticence in spending on direct-response ads, a newer offering from the social networking company. MORE

Apr. 29, 2015

Anheuser-Bush InBev incurs widespread ire from women after placing controversial label on some of its Bud Light bottles; language, which suggests beer helps remove word 'no' from a drinker's vocabulary, is seen as deeply insensitive in light of public outcry over campus rape. MORE

Apr. 27, 2015

Google is combing through its six-billion search queries on fashion to predict most popular trends, part of its bid to increase its standing in e-commerce and fashion; company, which is coordinating with major retailers to help them incorporate results of search data into their fashion planning, is hoping to leverage this capability to increase fashion ad sales. MORE

Apr. 27, 2015

Thirty-three Internet companies will host events at Digital Content NewFronts in New York in attempt to lure lucrative advertising dollars away from television; $68.5 billion in advertising was spent in 2014 on television programming but amount spent on digital video ads increased to $5.8 billion in United States and is expected to grow to $12.8 billion by 2018. MORE

Apr. 26, 2015

Team for Kentucky Derby contender Itsaknockout will wear branded apparel promoting Mayweather-Pacquiao bout, which is set for same day as race; move is sign of collaboration between Starlight Racing, which owns colt, and promoters of championship boxing match. MORE

Apr. 26, 2015

Jennifer Weiner Op-Ed article explores issue of marketability vs artistic integrity, saying as novelist she has been approached numerous times to endorse products; notes financial pressure can be great, since big money is dangled for chance to tap into one's Twitter followers. MORE

Apr. 25, 2015

Abercrombie & Fitch announces it will alter its marketing and cease using shirtless male models at events and openings, as well as removing 'sexualized' images from its materials, bid to become more relevant to teenage shoppers. MORE

Apr. 23, 2015

Editorial warns of threats presented by rise of e-cigarettes, especially dangers they pose to young people who are using them at record rates and are being increasingly targeted by tobacco companies; observes whatever health claims e-cigarettes may have, nicotine remains a highly toxic and addictive substance; calls on FDA to ban youth-oriented flavors and packaging. MORE

Apr. 23, 2015

Op-Ed article by policy experts David A Kessler and Matthew L Myers warns e-cigarette use is skyrocketing among young people, as tobacco companies deploy same marketing tactics they used to addict generations of teenagers to cigarettes; calls on FDA to undertake robust regulation of e-cigarette marketing techniques. MORE

Apr. 22, 2015

Federal Judge John G Koeltl orders Metropolitan Transportation Authority to display ad from pro-Israel group American Freedom Defense Initiative on its buses; group had sued MTA in 2014, accusing it of freedom of speech infringement after authority rejected ad on grounds that it might incite violence. MORE

Apr. 16, 2015

Fashion designers are turning to digital agency Maison MRKT to help them boost their e-commerce businesses via social media, search and online presence. MORE

Apr. 15, 2015

AOL introduces advertising platform ONE by AOL; move is latest amid push into ad tech as it seeks to compete with Facebook and Google. MORE

Apr. 14, 2015

Metropolitan Transportation Authority works closely with advertisers to create ads that are both compelling and appropriate for young riders; rejected Brooklyn moving company Dumbo Moving and Storage's ad that pictured pantsless woman with her legs wrapped around shirtless man. MORE

Apr. 12, 2015

Matt Richtel Applied Science column examines Stanford study finding that use of divine imagery and language by advertisers can prompt consumers to take risks that they otherwise would not; observes that finding adds counterintuitive twist to existing research about God and risk-taking. MORE

Apr. 10, 2015

Some of the biggest automakers engage with social media and spend tens of millions of dollars on marketing campaigns, but many of their local dealers remain unenthusiastic about it and hardly maintain a Facebook page; some experts doubt local businesses' need for social media, and most dealers still say sales depend on how customers are treated. MORE